


Never Say Never

by merinxD



Series: Never Say Never [1]
Category: Free!
Genre: M/M, Rin has a realisation, mentions of Rin's feelings for another in the first part and first part only, not angst, prompt series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-21
Updated: 2013-10-21
Packaged: 2017-12-30 02:09:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1012792
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/merinxD/pseuds/merinxD
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rin and Nitori have an honest moment after Rin finds out about a surprising relationship. It opens up the door to a new adventure, or so they hope.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Never Say Never

**Author's Note:**

> New prompt series for rintori that explores the moments in their growing relationship stemming from this encounter. All prompts are considered carefully and if they don’t fit into this verse will be filled singularly.
> 
> To request visit - merinxdboyslove.tumblr.com/ask
> 
> nsfw friendly. Don’t like don’t read :)

Everything has been going so well since the tournament, since Rin found himself - and his friends. It is really no surprise that something had to rain on his parade. Something that shouldn’t even bother him, but it has been festering for days, bringing him down. 

It’s been showing through in his work, his swimming, his mood, and now Nitori has noticed. His friend is always beside him, pulling him out of whatever shitty thought he has sunk into, but it doesn’t feel that easy this time. Still, they sit here on the bottom bunk and swim in his sadness. 

Makoto and Haru are together and have been for months. They didn’t even tell him, he had to ask. It was pretty obvious though, by the way their hands caught in the locker room; the whisper of a promise that he shouldn’t have heard. 

It was days ago, and Makoto smiled like always. Haru didn’t speak and merely affirmed with a nod. They seemed pretty embarrassed about it, even apologised when there was no  _fucking_ need. 

It should have been obvious to him, but Rin wasn’t in a good place before the relay. Even afterwards he needed to get back into the swing of things; feeling apart of them again. It was going well too, really well. Then he discovered…this. It’s just a lot to comprehend. 

Rin sighs heavily, sitting on the edge of his bed. His fingers rake through his already unkempt hair, and the teen scowls at the wall in front of him. 

“ _Fuck_.” He swears without reason. But it feels good. The stress lessens if only a fraction and he is able to breathe easier. 

He just…He thought that it was working. That they were growing closer again, like before. 

Rin thought that he was almost there (to penetrating that bubble of theirs). Then, Haru and Makoto grew even closer. It has been happening since he was a kid, standing with Nagisa by the wayside, as Makoto chattered and Haru listened with that look in his eyes. Back then the only look Rin got was annoyance; piercing annoyance. 

And what about  _his_  happiness? For as long as he can remember Rin has harboured something for Haru. He has never been certain of what it means, and is pretty sure that it isn’t love. But still, what if it could have been, and now he will never know?

What if he is missing out on the romance of a lifetime because he was too damned slow?

…

…

_No…_

His thoughts pause, and he forces another deep breath. His heart constricts and a familiar guilt fills him as he thinks of his other best friend. Someone who is much too kind. 

Rin shakes his head, pushing the thoughts away. He couldn’t do that to Makoto, and he could never look after Haru like him. Even when they were children Makoto was a damned mothering hen. Now he is worse, but none of them mind the extra care…

And Haru, he needs it.

Rin thinks that being with Haru is just an idea, one Makoto has probably been imagining his entire life. That smiling baka has probably been in love with Haru since before he met the two them.

Deep down, Rin knows that he can’t look at Haru the same way that Makoto does, and maybe that means something.

_Just…_

Why didn’t they tell him? 

"Rin-senpai." Nitori murmurs, snapping the teen from his reverie. He startles a moment, having completely forgotten that his room mate is beside him, or what he asked when he sat down. 

"What is it, Nitori?" Rin questions in a strained tone. He isn’t being harsh, but his mood definitely relays. 

Nitori shuffles beside him (a habit of his) and sits up straighter, looking directly at him. Rin doesn’t look though, and merely stares ahead. It doesn’t stop him from catching the boy out of the corner of his eye.

"Are - Are you okay?" Nitori begins. "Since the other day you’ve -"

"I’m  _fine_ , Ai.” Rin cuts him off, and he tries to ignore the worry in Nitori’s usually bright eyes, and his odd tone of voice. His friend looks sad, sad for him. 

The silver haired boy pauses, and the shining glint of determination within his blue eyes goes unnoticed by the second year.

"O - Okay. I just thought that you were upset because of…someone." Nitori mutters, looking at his hands. His confidence has waned somewhat, but he continues anyway. "Because you can’t have someone." He clarifies.

Rin breathes out sharply, his teeth baring at the annoying throb in his chest. His forearms rest on his knees, with hunched shoulders, but he is very tense. He turns, (red eyes alight) as he glares at Nitori.

Ai is fine though, he will take all of Rin’s emotions. He can handle it.

“ **Are _you_  okay then**?” The red head growls, freezing abruptly as soon as his words register; when he takes in what they  _actually_  mean.

The two stare at each other, one with wide eyes, and Nitori…well, he just looks sad.

Ai knows that Rin is talking about himself, that he can never have him.  _His Matsuoka senpai_  is merely a dream. It stings, but it is something that he expected from the start.

A frown falls upon Rin’s face and he is about to take it back. The words just spilled out. They don’t even mean anything. 

Except they do…

But they aren’t true!

_Are they?_

Red brows furrow further and his mouth forms a tight line as Rin takes in Nitori’s sad smile. He knows that Ai likes him, and his words were cruel. It tugs at his heart thinking of the pain that he is inflicting, all because of his shitty mood. 

He always does this, and it’s a lame excuse.

"I’m sorry Ai." He says, trying to find the words without sounding like an idiot. He isn’t sure what other people feel, but knowing that someone might like him, and acknowledging it as being true are two completely different concepts, and it’s still hitting home. 

For some reason Nitori’s feelings didn’t seem real to him until now; just a moment ago. Rin knows logically that it isn’t true, that his friend has liked him all along. 

And it makes him feel like even more of a bastard.

The smaller boy nods, gazing upward. Their eyes meet and there is something within the wavering blue. It’s a strange kind of melancholy, and he doesn’t seem defeated.

It gives Rin hope.

_But why?_

"I’m okay senpai." Ai says easily, with a small smile. His hands pat his knees after a short moment and Nitori leverages upward. RIn watches as he takes the few steps to their study desk. Picking up his jacket, Nitori slides it on and turns back to Rin.

"Never say never senpai, you might get your person." He assures, and a wave of guilt washes through the moody teen. He has already figured out that Haru is not his person, and it’s pretty shit of him to need Nitori’s sadness to push him to the conclusion. 

He is sure now that he was mistaken. He feels strongly for Haru, but not in the right way. Maybe if they met differently it would be possible, or perhaps their personalities aren’t right to sustain something like he and Makoto. His eyes have been opened wide, and everything looks much clearer. Like the expression in Nitori’s blue eyes, the one that has been there all along. He realises that he has seen it before…but he can’t quite put his finger on it. 

Rin knows though, that Ai is sure about  _him_. He can feel it. He’s a dick for doing this, for having a tantrum over something that he can’t have that he might not even want in the first place. 

Gazing at the teen who is fumbling with his shoes, Rin can practically feel the emotions coming off of him.

Can Nitori feel his?

His friend deserves better.

"I’m going for a walk." The silver haired youth says softly, less exuberant than usual. He pads to the door (eyes to the ground) and just watching Ai leave feels strange. 

They normally go out together. Rin can’t recall a time when he has left the dorms without Nitori, with the exception of a few Iwatobi incidents.

Ai usually invites him… 

It feels wrong.

The thought sinks in as an unknown emotion wells in his abdomen, and his chest pricks, like someone is poking him with a very sharp pin. 

The door opens, and Nitori goes to step out into the hall. 

"Nitori." Rin says, standing up. He doesn’t move from the centre of the room and Nitori doesn’t come closer.

Rin…Has no idea what he is going to say.

"Yes, Rin-senpai?" He asks, looking up at him with eyes slightly agape. The sadness is still there, but his normal expression is slowly returning. 

"Ai…" Rin trails off. Their eyes meet and he has to shove his hands into his pockets, turning his head slightly to the side. His ears begin to burn and he feels absolutely ridiculous. Nevertheless, he knows now.

"Thanks." He mutters, refusing to look at Nitori as he continues to stare at the door frame. 

There is a silence, and then Ai is smiling. Rin doesn’t have to see to know, but it pulls his eyes anyway. 

"No problem senpai." Nitori grins now. He looks much happier than before and the ever present pin prick ebbs to nothing.

His room mate’s blue change too, back to the cheerful brightness that always lingers. His cheeks rise as his smile grows and his eyes crinkle. Nitori looks happy again. 

It doesn’t matter though, Rin has already seen what is beneath it. 

It pushes him to speak, despite having no idea if it’s right; if he will fuck it up. 

"Ai." He says again, pausing. Tilting his head a fraction he looks at the ground this time. (Why does this shit have to be so embarrassing?)

Taking in a large breath, he forces himself to meet Nitori’s waiting gaze. His eyes are weighted with the words of his mind and Rin is sure that his roommate notices. 

"Never say never." He says cryptically, telling himself not to look away.

The hand on the door frame tightens a moment, and blue eyes widen, mouth falling open. Rin is sure that Nitori understands, even if he, himself, isn’t completely sure of what it means. 

"I’m going to try, Rin-senpai." The boy replies after a moment, offering the red head another small glimpse at the calmness beneath. Nitori’s soft smile speaks to him in ways that he has never thought of before, and it’s interesting. 

Nitori leaves for his walk and Rin is left alone. He has forgotten all about Haru and Makoto and instead has a very different image in his mind. 

The picture of a solemn boy beneath a massive smile, and an even bigger heart. 

Maybe Rin hasn’t missed his chance after all. 

Walking back to the bed, the calmed swimmer flops down and enjoys the feel of his muscles unwinding. Nitori will come back soon and things will go back to normal. 

Rin will remember this though, and secretly -

A part of him really does want Nitori to try. 

Rin is ready to be caught. 


End file.
